I had to hold my breath multiple times reading the true recounts of cave explorers in this book! So many tight spaces, zero visibilty, and death-defying decisions made during both underwater diving and subterranean crawling. I quickly realized I could never be a cave explorer!
During a 2016 vacation, I visited Cumberland Caverns in McMinville, Tennessee, where I took a walking tour and attended a bluegrass concert. While it was a unique experience, it also left me conflicted. Transforming caves into tourist attractions provides an accessible way for the public to experience them. However, I took issue with the permanent bathroom and kitchen built directly inside the cavern; the high visitor traffic and waste generated also felt in stark contrast to the pristine, natural space. This conflict between public tourism, open access to cave explorers, and natural preservation is an ongoing conversation. Cumberland Caverns is a privately owned show cave that commodifies the space for any anyone with a ticket, whereas Goliath Cave is public land managed by the state, yet completely gated off so the average person cannot enter. The book details the intense controversy over the Department of Natural Resources (DNR) stepping in to assume control of the newly mapped Goliath system, capturing the multi-layered question of who really owns a cave and who should have access to it.
Growing up in Minnesota, I had no idea the state also had caves. So when I first heard about the caves under St. Paul, I wanted to learn more about them so I picked up this book, Opening Goliath, to learn more about the caves in the state. While I initially went in looking to hear more about the St. Paul caves, I actually ended up preferring the book's deep focus on the Goliath system itself. In fact, I think the book's momentum would have benefited from sticking exclusively to the central cast of characters around Goliath. The standalone St. Paul cave chapters felt out of place since that was the only major structural diversion the book took. If the author was determined to include the tragic St. Paul carbon monoxide story, it should have been interjected later where it made narrative sense -- specifically at the terrifying moment when the Goliath explorers decide to risk using a gas-powered generator deep inside the cave.
Despite those pacing detours, I found the core book to be exceptionally well-researched and engaging. I highly recommend it to anyone looking to learn more about regional caving, or anyone simply interested in tense, eerie real-life stories!
